Emma Hornby

Phoebe Parsons is destitute, disgraced and alone. After her mistress tragically dies, Phoebe is forced back onto the poverty-ridden streets of Manchester by her unforgiving new master. Desperately searching for work as a domestic maid, Phoebe soon discovers her reputation is in ruins....

Random House presents the audiobook edition of A Shilling for a Wife by Emma Hornby, read by Penelope Freeman....

After a cold, hard winter on the streets, three orphan children are about to give up hope when an unexpected turn of events brings them to the doorstep of a grand house in Ardwick, Manchester....

A gritty historical saga set in Northern England in the late 1800s, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin....

At 17, Renee Rushmore lives at home with her father Ivan—a cruel man who rules the house with an iron fist and keeps Renee isolated and alone. She is desperate to escape him, but with no friends to help her, what hope does she have? Then war breaks out....

Livvy knows that her family's survival rests on her shoulders - with her parents gone, it falls to her to support her grandfather, Morris, and younger sister, Joan. Times are tough, largely due to the hardships of war, and Livvy knows that she will struggle to keep her family safe.

Janie and her husband, James, have a strong, loving marriage. A move from an inner-city slum to a peaceful new estate outside of Bolton should have been a fresh start. But when war is declared and James announces he has signed up, Janie fears it's the beginning of the end....

Eighteen-year-old Moll Chambers works her fingers to the bone doing all she can to support her family....

Mara longs for a peaceful life free of violence and poverty. But she has married into the O'Hara family, who have a reputation for their drunkenness and quick tempers. Her eldest stepson, Conrad, is the worst of them all - a brute and a criminal who makes Mara's life a misery....

Minnie Maddox cares deeply for mothers and their babies - she makes a living by taking in unwanted children and finding them good adoptive homes - and is delighted for her neighbour when she finally becomes a mother after decades of trying....

Orphaned Jenny and her chimney sweep brother Noah eke out life in a cellar dwelling in the heart of the slums....

Brought to you by Penguin. She’s fallen on hard times but she’ll come back stronger… Slung out from her home and onto the slum streets of Manchester at the tender age of twelve, Perdita Barratt has fallen on hard times. Each day she must toil to earn a penny to secure a bed at a lodging...